1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable telephone sets, and more particularly to a portable telephone set suitable for a global system for mobile communication (GSM).
Recently, it has been considered in Japan to employ, as a communication system using portable telephone sets, the GSM which has been employed in Europe. The GSM does not require registration of a telephone number for each portable telephone set. Each individual (subscriber) is assigned to a subscriber identity module in which information concerning the subscriber is stored. If the subscriber exchanges the old portable telephone set by a new one, the subscriber identity module is detached from the old telephone set and is then inserted into the new one. If the rent portable telephone set is used, the subscriber inserts the own subscriber identity module into the set. Thus, the new or rent portable telephone set can be used as the subscriber own portable telephone set.
It has been considered that the subscriber identity module is realized by a compact subscriber identity card in which an integrated circuit including a memory is built. Such a card has a size of, for instance, 25 mmxc3x9715 mm.
The portable telephone set has been required to be thin and have a structure which enables the subscriber identity card to be easily detached therefrom.
There is another card which can be inserted into the portable telephone set. Such a card stores information important to the subscriber, such as subscriber identity information and accounting information. It is not desired to easily detach, from the portable telephone set, the information cards suitable for the portable telephone set as described above in terms of privacy protection. The portable telephone set is required to satisfy the above.
In the present specification, the cards to be attached to the portable telephone sets are referred to as portable telephone information cards. The portable telephone information cards include the above subscriber identity card, and another card which stores information other than the subscriber identity information.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams of a portable telephone set 10 for the GSM disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 8-265404. A battery pack 11 can be attached to the back surface of the portable telephone set 10. A card loading mechanism 12 is provided in a bottom surface portion of a battery pack mount portion 13 provided to the back surface of the portable telephone set 10, that is, the back surface of the mounted battery pack 11. The battery pack mount portion 13 has a bottom plate 14, in which a rectangular opening 15 is formed.
The subscriber identity card loading mechanism 12 is mainly composed of a housing 20 and a holder 21. The housing 20 is fixed to the inside of the portable telephone set 10, and faces the opening 15. The holder 21 is joined to the housing by a hinge.
A subscriber identity card 22 can be mounted as follows. The holder 21 is rotated and set upright. Then, the subscriber identity card 22 is inserted into the holder 21, which is then depressed and rotated. Thus, the card 22 passes through the opening 15 and is engaged with the housing 20.
A subscriber identity card 22 can be taken out by the reverse operation. It should be noted that the subscriber identity card 22 which is mounted cannot be taken out unless the battery pack 11 is taken out.
The above portable telephone set 10 has the following problems.
The battery pack mount portion 13 located in the back surface of the portable telephone set 10 includes a slight recess. A circuit board, a tenkey and other components are tightly provided in a portion 16 opposite to the battery pack mount portion 13. Thus, no space is available in which a new mechanism is provided. The card loading mechanism 12 is provided in the above portion 16, and thus has an increased thickness t1. Hence, the thickness t3 of the portable telephone set 10 is equal to the sum of the thickness t2 necessary to provide the circuit board, the tenkey and other components and the thickness t1 of the card loading mechanism 12. The thickness t3 prevents down-sizing of the portable telephone set 10.
The holder 21 cannot be detached from the housing 20. Hence, it is necessary to take the portable telephone 10 by hand in order to take out the subscriber identity card 22 from the holder 21 and insert the subscriber identity card 22 into the holder 21. The above is troublesome. Further, the card loading mechanism 12 has a complex structure.
A detection switch detects the holder 21 even when the holder 21 having no card is mounted. Hence, if the subscriber dials with no card inserted into the holder 21, the portable telephone set 10 starts a corresponding calling procedure although it is not completed.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone set in which the above disadvantages are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a compact portable telephone set having a simplified card loading mechanism.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by a portable telephone set comprising: a case having first and second sides opposite to each other; a group of keys located on the first side of the case; and a card loading mechanism. The case includes first and second portions located on the second side. The first portion can accommodate a battery pack, and the second portion is next to the first portion and accommodates the card loading mechanism. A card in which information is stored can be loaded to the card loading mechanism. The card loading mechanism and the battery pack can be arranged side by side, so that the thickness of the portable telephone set can be reduced.
The above portable telephone set may be configured so that: the case has a wall interposed between the first and second portions; and the wall has an opening through which the card can be inserted into the second portion and loaded to the card loading mechanism. Hence, the card cannot be detached unless the battery pack is detached. Thus, it is possible to prevent the card from happening to be detached from the portable telephone set.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the second portion includes a protrusion with respect to a bottom portion of the first portion. Such a protrusion means that there is a comparatively large spatial area in the portable telephone set. Hence, the card loading mechanism can be provided in the second portion without a particular difficulty.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the card loading mechanism comprises: a housing located in the second portion; and a card holder having a card accommodating portion in which the card can be accommodated, the card holder having a spring portion which portion has a handle portion with which a finger can be engaged, and an engagement craw which can engage with a part of the housing when the card holder is inserted into the housing. A simple structure of the card loading mechanism can be realized.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the spring portion is formed of a resin. Thus, the spring portion having a resilient property can be realized with ease.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that: the spring portion is formed of a resin and can be resiliently bent in a thickness direction of the portable telephone set; and the handle portion is located in a free end of the spring portion. The card holder can easily be drawn by a single-finger operation.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that: the spring portion is formed of a resin and can be resiliently bent in a thickness direction of the portable telephone set; the handle portion is located in a free end of the spring portion; and the card holder has another handle portion located opposite to the handle portion. The card holder can easily be drawn by using two fingers such as the thumb finger and the forefinger.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that: the card holder has a card holding portion having a spring property and projecting from a side of the card accommodating portion; and the card holding portion engages with a part of the card so that the card can be restricted in the second portion. The card holding portion of the card holder can certainly hold the card.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the card loading mechanism comprises: a housing located in the second portion; a card holder having a card accommodating portion in which the card can be accommodated; and a detection switch which detects a situation in which the card holder with the card loaded thereto is inserted into the housing. Hence, even if the card holder with no card accommodated therein is loaded to the portable telephone set, the portable telephone set can be prevented from performing a meaningless or wasteful operation such as a calling procedure.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the detection switch has a terminal having a spring property, the terminal which can be engaged with the card accommodated in the card holder. The same advantages as described above can be obtained.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the card holder has a spring portion which portion has a handle portion with which a finger can be engaged, and an engagement craw which can engage with a part of the housing when the card holder is inserted into the housing. The card holding portion of the card holder can certainly hold the card.
The portable telephone set may be configured so that the card loading mechanism can receive the card in a state in which the battery pack is detached from the first portion. Hence, the card can be prevented from being drawn in the state in which the battery pack is attached to the portable telephone set.